The lights were too bright for Kentucky in Spokane

Kentucky crumbled in the spotlight for a second straight time in high-profile matchups to open the season, this time an 88-72 loss at Gonzaga to fall to 3-2 on the year. It was a performance that saw the Wildcats shoot just 39.1% from the field and 24.0% from three while allowing the Zags to hit 56.4% overall and 36.8% from deep.

UK didn’t lead at any point, while GU pushed ahead by as many as 19 points. The Bulldogs got rolling with an 8-0 run to open the game, with the lead extending to 13 before the second media timeout. It was an unbelievable combination of effort and energy from the Zags from the tip, clearly looking for an early knockout punch, one the Cats had no answer for. As Kentucky’s struggles mounted, Gonzaga’s momentum built, with the sold-out crowd at Spokane Arena rallying behind every made shot for the Bulldogs and every miscue for the opposition.

Fans had been camped out in front of the venue as early as 10 p.m. PST late Saturday evening for that opportunity, with a line of diehards wrapped around the building tripping over each other to get in leading up to the opening tip. The student section stretched from one side of the Kentucky baseline to the other, pushing all the way up to the top of the first level, shoulder to shoulder with fans painted up and decked out in Gonzaga gear. They came with an endless number of chants and even more expletives looking to get in the Wildcats’ heads. It worked.

Here come your Cats

(And “F—k Kentucky” chants) pic.twitter.com/pQoqTJUYOa

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) November 21, 2022

Jacob Toppin said the crowd didn’t play a factor in Kentucky’s performance, but the actual product told a different story. The senior forward did, however, hit the nail on the head regarding his team’s fight, which was non-existent from the start.

“We had no fight in the first half and we put ourselves in a hole that we couldn’t dig out of,” Toppin said after the loss. “We cut it to (four) in the second half, then made stupid plays, me included in that — I made some dumb mistakes down the stretch. We just have to be better.”

And there’s the big concern. How is it that Kentucky can fail to get up for the No. 2 team in college basketball on the road? In that type of environment, a game where fans slept outside in tents in below-freezing temperatures preparing for the matchup? Another example of everybody’s Super Bowl with rally towels placed on every seat and the biggest crowd in Spokane Arena history.

Losing is one thing, but to do so as a result of getting out-worked and not being prepared for the moment? You can’t get up for that? That’s disappointing. Disheartening, even.

Certainly, definitely, positively not a home game. pic.twitter.com/VUzmC9Jq65

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) November 21, 2022

Gonzaga destroyed Kentucky on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 39-29 — 15 of the 29 coming from Oscar Tshiebwe. No one else on the team grabbed over three boards. Defense was also a serious issue, with the Zags scoring around the basket essentially every time down the floor with minimal pushback, if any. At times, it felt like a layup line for the Bulldogs, with 24 of the team’s 31 field goals coming from inside the 3-point line.

At the end of the day, Kentucky wasn’t ready to beat that opponent on that stage, just like we saw against Michigan State in the Champions Classic this past week. Physicality and toughness killed the Wildcats in both.

“If you want the honest answer — um, it’s a long season. We played one of the best teams in college basketball,” Toppin said. “I don’t want to speak for any guys, but in some moments, guys can’t step up — me included. I didn’t make shots in the first half at all, I didn’t rebound. I have to be better, my teammates have to be better, we all have to be better.

“You can say whatever you want, but at the end of the day, we’re going to put this on ourselves just to be better. … The main thing is just fighting. We didn’t have any fight, but we’ll figure it out.”

John Calipari placed the immediate blame on shooting. Hard not to when you finish with 39/24/75 splits overall and your two best shooters, Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick, combine for just 5-24 from the field and 3-13 from three. That comes after the two combined for 3-14 overall and 2-9 from deep against Michigan State.

Two opportunities to shine on college basketball’s biggest stages, but no breakthroughs. The light was simply too bright.

“We missed every shot. You can say what you want, but we missed every shot,” Calipari said. “You don’t have to make them all, but you can’t miss them all and expect to be in a game with a good team. Gonzaga played well.”

Blowout efforts against the bunnies, but slow, boring offensive displays with questions regarding toughness against teams that matter. What does that say about your program now five games into the season? Regular season losses aren’t typically make-or-break individually, but when common themes develop highlighting clear flaws that could easily sink Kentucky’s ship when postseason play rolls around, it’s troubling to say the least.

It wasn’t over from the opening tip, though — even if their initial effort said otherwise. The Wildcats had a chance in the second half, cutting the deficit to just four points with 13 minutes to go. And then five points with just over 11 minutes remaining, then a few instances of six points as late as the 9:50 mark. They got themselves within striking distance.

They’d respond, though, with brutal defensive slip-ups, careless turnovers and fouls. Those things are possible to overcome in most cases, but not when you find yourself down by 16 points at the half and as many as 19 points overall. When you give yourself a margin of error that small, you simply have to live with the consequences.

“They were imposing their will on us instead of us — we talked about it for two days,” Calipari said. “We have to impose our will on them or you won’t win this game. And we didn’t do it. We just didn’t.”

How do you combat that moving forward? You play the guys who bring the fight and energy when they’re on the floor. It’s one of the perks of having a deep bench with 11 scholarship pieces, all capable of contributing in some form. If you’re not willing to fight, you sit.

“I’ll just play different guys, whoever wants to fight. I’m going to play different guys,” he added. “We got enough guys. I let those guys get in there and fight and understand, when you’re into your own head about how you’re playing instead of just play for us, and we’re training every day about playing a certain way, play that way.”

Tshiebwe fights, that much is clear. The reigning National Player of the Year went for 20 points, 15 rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes of action against the Bulldogs. His head-to-head battle vs. Drew Timme lived up to the hype, with the Gonzaga star putting up 22 points (9-13 FG), seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in 36 minutes. Tshiebwe split time guarding him and Anton Watson, who added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Cason Wallace fights, too, diving for loose balls, forcing turnovers and coming up with huge defensive stops, among his other positive qualities as a scorer and playmaker. He added 14 points (5-9 FG, 2-3 3PT), four steals, two rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes.

Who else? I’m not sure that answer is clear, especially after tonight.

Jacob Toppin went for 16 points, but started the game 2-12 from the field before catching fire on mid-range jumpers late. He also added just three rebounds in a game the Wildcats got destroyed on the boards, inexcusable for a versatile 6-foot-10 forward with a 45-inch vertical. Sahvir Wheeler went for seven points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3PT), four assists and one rebound in the loss, struggling with foul trouble to finish with just 17 minutes.

Daimion Collins and Chris Livingston haven’t stepped up yet this season against real competition. Neither have Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero.

As for Fredrick and Reeves, they fight, but they both hurt the Wildcats more than they helped in Spokane. They were major liabilities on defense and couldn’t make the shots to compensate for those struggles. Lance Ware fights, too, but his role is clearly defined with a solid floor and low ceiling.

The long list of question marks stress just how ill-prepared Kentucky was to take care of business in that environment. Same can be said about the loss vs. Michigan State last week, two swings and misses for the Wildcats looking to make a statement in the early part of a difficult schedule.

“I’m not happy right now,” Calipari said. “We lost the game that we start awful, can’t make a shot, get back in the game, and then when you do all that, you finish those off. It shows we’re not ready.”

Looking for a bright spot? No matter how repulsive the offense looks at times, the pieces are there and chemistry will only improve as the season moves forward. Time is on the Kentucky head coach’s side, and for that, Calipari is grateful.

“I wouldn’t trade my team for any team in the country. I wouldn’t,” he said. “It was Michigan State. We had a chance to finish people off and we — you get up five and six and all of a sudden you miss a layup, you miss a free throw. All that stuff is coming back to haunt us.”

Back to the drawing board he goes.

“It’s a long season. Like I said, it’s November,” Calipari said. “They’re good. They played great teams. We’ve had our share of games and now it just keeps going. We still got a bunch of really good teams and our league is real good too.”

Unfortunately, the Wildcats won’t play their next ranked foe until December in No. 20 Michigan. Then, a top-10 battle against the No. 8 UCLA Bruins in the CBS Sports Classic leading up to SEC play.

The wait continues for Kentucky to prove (or disprove?) its status as a title contender this season.